Reindeer
/ˈɹeɪndɪə/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any Arctic and subarctic-dwelling deer of the species Rangifer tarandus, with a number of subspecies. plural
"Santa Claus' sleigh is supposedly pulled by nine reindeer"
- 2 Arctic deer with large antlers in both sexes; called ‘reindeer’ in Eurasia and ‘caribou’ in North America wordnet
- 3 Any species, subspecies, ecotype, or other scientific grouping of such animals. plural
Verb
- 1 To herd or farm reindeer
Antonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"I hope to see reindeer on my trip to Sweden."
Etymology
From Middle English reyndere, reynder, rayne-dere, from Old Norse hreindýri (“reindeer”), from hreinn (“reindeer”) + dýr (“animal”). Compare Dutch rendier (“reindeer”), German Rentier (“reindeer”), Swedish rendjur (“reindeer”), Danish rensdyr (“reindeer”) and French renne (“reindeer”). Related also to displaced Old English hrān (“reindeer”). Unrelated to rein.